The group that organized the dating event was inspired by the 1951 western in which a pioneer recruits 150 women from Chicago to trek out west to keep men company

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The village of Candeleda in Spain has taken to bussing in single women from Madrid to try to solve its shortage of eligible bachelorettes.

Updated at 12:39 PM EDT on Monday, Apr 23, 2012

A sleepy Spanish village suffering from bride drain has taken a cue from a '50s Hollywood western to woo some eligible bachelorettes.

The powers that be in the sleepy but picturesque town of Candeleda, population 6,000, bussed in dozens of single women from Madrid to mingle with town bachelors at a weekend event, The Associated Press reported.

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The dating group behind the event said it brought the idea east from the 1951 western "Westward the Women," in which a pioneer recruits 150 women from Chicago to trek out west to keep men company.

With the meet-and-greet, Candeleda resident Jose Miguel, 67, said the company was a welcome relief and could help reverse the town's population decline.

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"I've checked out the few widows and single women here," he said. "I signed up for this to meet new ladies and to hopefully show them the beauty of my town."

One of the women who came to the town, 52-year-old Blanca Fernandez, kept her hopes up as well.

"I know it's difficult to find the love of one's life, but some of these meetings have led to marriages," she said.

As Spain's population migrates toward the country's urban areas, its small towns have taken sometimes peculiar measures to keep afloat.

The village of Rasquera, population 900, voted this year to lease its land for growing marijuana to raise much-needed funds.